What is a Church Plant?
March 11, 2008 4:54 pm Blogs
The Resolved Church is a church plant, but what does that really mean? We’re not talking about a type of plant, like bonsai, geranium, or a fern. The church isn’t really anything that can wholly be compared to anything else, the closest thing is probably the human body (Eph 4). So what is the metaphor of a plant getting at and what does it mean?
Agricultural analogies are big in the Bible. Plants are apparently pretty important to God. God planted a garden called Eden (Gen 2:8). A plant is the result of a seed (Gen 1:11). People’s spiritual lives are like plants (Ps 1:3). God can pluck out a plant because of sin (Jer 45:5). Churches that get started are called plants (1 Cor 3:6). God makes church plants grow through people (1 Cor 3:7-9).
I have been known to speak incorrectly about us being a “church plant.” Sometimes in the past I’ve used it as an excuse for our lack of numbers, professionalism, or aesthetics. My apologies. The Biblical usage has these six qualities as outlined above:
“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted (Mt 15:13.”
1. It is something God does. This happens through God putting a “calling” upon particular man to start a church (Rom 1:1).
“[The Mustard Seed] is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
2. That plant begins small, with seeds. This happens through a small band of people that end up together, having community in a local church within the same “tree.”
“[Blessed is the man who] delight(s) in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season (Ps 1:2-3)”
3. The plant grows through people’s individual lives growing spiritually by God’s Word. This happens through the Bible. The Bible is the water that enables the church plant to grow and yield fruit individually and corporately.
“Because you sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in his law and in his statues…Thus says the LORD, Behold, what I have built I am breaking down and what I have planted I am plucking up (Jer 44:23; 45:4).”
4. The plant will be plucked or uprooted by God if it is in sin. This means if there are individual(s) regularly stuck in repeatedly committing a known sin and it is not dealt with by the church leaders, God will end the church plant (also see 1 Cor 5:12-13).
Referring to the church of Corinth, the apostle Paul says, “….as the Lord assigned to each, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Cor 3:5-6).”
5. New local churches which begin are the result of being intentionally “planted.” This happens when there is desire, initiative, and a plan for a new church to exist in a given city so sinners might join in the mission of bringing God glory.
“The whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love…He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building (Eph 4:16; 1 Cor 3:8-9).”
6. A church plant matures when different people begin to function in different roles working together. This happens when people have a servant’s heart that is not jealous of other roles or duties, they serve like they are serving Jesus in everything both in quality and in follow through, and they figure out a system and understanding of how they interact and operate.
So from now on when I say “church plant” this is what I mean: God has called us to form a continually growing community which grows through the instruction of the Bible, is maintained through the accountability provided for by leadership, is on a mission to gather people from the city and bring them to Jesus and works through different people having different roles that function together.
On Sunday night we had a “Church Plant Meeting” for members, those interested in being members and being part of the core group of our church plant. It was a great time of eating, drinking, everyone sharing and praying together. There were several things that stood out like community, small groups, the music, changed lives and the sermons. It was repeatedly said that there is such community among us right now that it seems like God is really doing something in our church. It is really exciting. There truly is a strong sense that we are in this together and Jesus is leading us. I encourage you to download and read the meeting notes: HERE
- Pastor Duane